Critics: Paris photos whitewash Nazi era

Critics want a photography exhibit on France during World War II shut down.

They say “Paris Under the Occupation,” at the Paris History Library, whitewashes life under Nazi occupation.

The exhibit features more than 250 color photos taken between 1941 and 1944 by French photographer Andre Zucca, a Nazi collaborator. Zucca during the war worked for the German propaganda magazine Signal. He died in 1973.

His photos show Parisians enjoying life along the banks of the Seine River, at cafes and in public gardens. Only two pictures show Jews wearing the obligatory Star of David. Nazi officers are shown mingling with the crowds.

Christophe Girard, a city councillor and culture department head, told journalists the show was “unbearable.”

Responding to the criticism, the exhibit organizers created a brochure explaining the historical context of the photos. But Girand and other critics want the exhbition, which runs through July 1, to be closed.